Are whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, classified as mammals or fish?
Answer
Cartilaginous fish
Despite having the word 'whale' in their name, *Rhincodon typus* are emphatically not mammals; they belong instead to the class of cartilaginous fish. This lineage is confirmed by distinct biological features such as possessing five pairs of gill slits located on the sides of their heads. The nomenclature referring to 'whale' is purely derived from their enormous size and the similarity of their food processing method to that of baleen whales, rather than their actual taxonomic classification.
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